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I'm finishing up my application package and I still have the resume portion to complete. However, my resume looks very sad. The only job I placed on there was my position as a legal assistant to a family friend lawyer. Other than my 3.6 GPA, I really have nothing amazing to add for my academic career either. I guess I'll put that I consistently make Deans' List every semester, but besides that, I haven't done anything extracurricular since 2006 when I wrote a few articles for the campus newspaper and I was active in a Jewish group and went to lobby on Capitol Hill.

Is the resume that important, and do adcomms look unfavorably on a resume with not many things listed? I just haven't had a chance yet to accumulate things to put on my resume. Is this a admission-killer?

bdm261 wrote:Is the resume that important, and do adcomms look unfavorably on a resume with not many things listed? I just haven't had a chance yet to accumulate things to put on my resume. Is this a admission-killer?

It's not a killer, but it does look bad if you can't fill up a single page with information. If you can meet that bar, you should be fine.

You say that the only job you placed on there was the legal assistant position. That implies, to me, that you have other positions you didn't put on there. Why'd you leave them off? Even stupid summer jobs should be on there. Sure, not as impressive as people with post-grad, full-time experience, but it is experience, and it should be included.

Do you speak any other languages? Have you traveled? Are you accomplished at anything? Those may be soft, but at least they'll take up some space.

I did some volunteer programs overseas and I'll certainly put that on there.

Other than that, my previous job was at a shady boiler room type place and my employment there ended in termination. Even if I was never fired, it's still not the kind of place I'd like to brag about working at. All the guys in charge were later indicted for fraud or something although I had a very low, entry-level position and had no idea of anything. I had a few fast-food/restaurant-type jobs, but they were 5+ years ago, should they even be listed?

You want to list your jobs so it shows you had a job.. No one's expecting everyone to have WE related to law - but if you've been working it looks nice. A lot of my friends have never had a job in their lives. Don't look like that.. I put a restaurant and a retail job, I didn't waste a lot of space on them though.